Distributed acoustic sensing for future planetary applications: initial results from the San Francisco Volcanic Field, a lunar analogue

Abstract

Seismic imaging is one of the most powerful tools available for constraining the internal structure and composition of planetary bodies as well as enabling our understanding planetary evolution, geology, and distribution of natural resources. However, traditional seismic instrumentation can be heavy and voluminous, expensive, and/or difficult to rapidly deploy in large numbers. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) provides a promising new alternative given the ease of deployment, light weight and simplicity of fiber optic cables. However, the feasibility and best operational practices for using DAS for planetary exploration are not well-known. We examine the use of DAS with surface deployed fiber for planetary near-surface seismic exploration at two lunar geophysical analogue sites in San Francisco Volcanic Field. We compare DAS recordings to 3-component seismometer recordings and geophone shot recordings and determine empirical response functions for the DAS system with respect to the 3-component recordings. Shot sections of DAS and traditional seismic equipment compare well visually, with similar moveout of identifiable phases. DAS records first arrivals in good agreement with seismometers making them suitable for refraction work. Multichannel analysis of surface waves is performed on DAS records to estimate shallow shear velocities. The DAS has high spectral coherence with the horizontal components of ∼0.7 in the frequency band of the seismic shot energy. The empirical response functions are stable with amplitudes of ∼1.0–3.0 × 10 ⁻¹⁰ m per strain. Finally, the phase response is linear but not flat or zero. Our experiment demonstrates that there is potential for surface deployed DAS in planetary landscapes.

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